Monday, October 19, 2009

Hi everyone! As I write this, it's Sunday night, it's snowing (yAt!), I'm curled up drinking hot cider, and I'm writing a dramatic scene in which two people are screaming at each other. (double yAt!)

Some answers to some questions.

1. I missed your signings. How can I get signed copies of your books?Good timing -- I've just set up an arrangement with my local indie. To purchase signed/personalized books, please place an online order at Harvard Book Store. Before you finish your order, a Comments box will appear. Please specify in the Comments box that you'd like the book signed, and to whom you'd like it personalized, if anyone. Kindly use the online ordering system rather than trying to order over the phone -- this will eliminate confusion at the store! All orders are pre-paid and non-returnable. These instructions are also available on my Contacts, Info, and Credits page.

(Note: Please DO NOT try to mail me books or bookplates to sign! I regret that I am unable to accommodate such requests, and I would hate for your books to get lost in the process!)

ETA 10/21/09: My publisher assures me that the Fire ebook is in production and will be distributed to ebook retailers shortly.

ETA 11/15/09: The ebook is now available; check Amazon, bn.com, or anywhere ebooks are sold.

3. What is your favorite Fire-themed widget?Okay, no one has actually asked me this. But I just wanted to show you this cute movie widget Penguin has created. In anticipation of the question, no, I do not have a movie deal for Fire -- this is just for fun. So, have fun with it! (And vote for Gael García Bernal! ^_^) Here it is:

4. How old are you?33.

5. Are you afraid of heights?Actually, I LOVE heights. If the sun comes out sometime this week, I'm climbing a nearby tower to check out the fall foliage from way up high. But it's funny you ask, because you know who is afraid of heights? Bitterblue.

6. What's the best book you've recently read?Zel, by Donna Jo Napoli.

7. Who's your favorite character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer?Well, I'm just now wrapping up Season 4, and I love Willow in Season 4. However. Is it possible to love ANYONE more than I love Spike?

Have any answers of your own? Feel free to leave them in the comments!

45 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Dear Kristin,

I just read Fire for the THIRD time - because I have fallen in love with your characters. It is hard to get them out of my head - a condition which I like very much and which compels me to re-read the book - Thank You!

I was wondering what it is like for you to be living with them in your head as you are writing? Are you focused on getting them where you want them to go and how to portray this, or do they ever wander around like friends? Is it a process of following a story arc, or do the characters tell you their story? Or both?

I realize the above questions may be too dialectic. I am not a writer, but I am very interested in any answer you may provide.

And, I am eagerly awaiting all future books you may provide as well :-) You have become one of my very favorite authors.

Oops! - sorry, but I should have gone to the FAQs first. Much of what I asked may be encompassed in your comments, but if my questions triggered anything else, I'd be happy to know. If not, forget the questions and please accept my compliments on your books.

I'm with you on the Spike issue, I liked Angel just fine...until Spike started working with the Scooby gang. I was in high school at the time and my friend and I spent all our mornings before class discussing the newest episode/fawning over Spike's hotness and bristly attitude.

I am paralyzingly afraid of heights. I either freeze up and panic, or panic while flipping out on whoever is making whatever object is holding my weight move. (-__- I know people who start jumping on metal staircases/in elevators because they think it's funny to see me freak).

Fire was amazing, and met every expectation I had, and then some. Congrats on the new book, can't wait for the next one.

Unfortunately, I live in Canada and have missed all of your tour stops, but hopefully one day, one of your tours will lead you close enough to the border, at at time when I'm no longer in school, that I can hop over and get to one of them.

I work at Swarthmore College where Donna Jo Napoli teaches. We just exchanged emails the other day! I, too, am working my way through Buffy Season 4 thought it's getting a bit risque for my younger son. (IMHO, not his) Thanks for sharing!

I finished reading Fire last night -- Ohmygosh, it was amazing ♥! I noticed a theme between the two books of losing something and having to cope without it. I like that, it takes away from the common plot point of death.My only misgiving was the idea that Fire looked ... perfect....I still loved the book, it was amazing!!! I'll be seeing you at the Librarian Convention in November, because my librarian invited me along with her (yay! ~the advantages of becoming friends with librarians~). I just need to find out if it's a signing as well and if I should bring a book along with me... (?)Anyway...Gosh, Fire makes me want to write -- not in the way that Wuthering Heights makes me want to write. Not because I'm bored and will do anything besides reading...but because the mood is so similar to how I imagine my universe. Too bad I have to worry about writing at least an essay a week for school, though.... I have no time to write. *sigh*

Hi, I was just wondering how you manage to balance traveling and family in addition to your writing. I live in Lancaster, PA (I know...snore)with my three younger sisters, and I plan to go to college in CA (which is obviously far away in a mythical realm considering barely anyone from PA thinks of moving there). How do you live apart from your sisters and still keep in touch? I can't even begin to imagine the new inside jokes that I will miss, and sometimes, it seems too depressing. No more goofy dancing? What sorrow...Thank you, Kayte

You know, you take the killing for granted. And then it's gone. And you're like, I wish I had appreciated it more. Stopped and smelled the corpses.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Spike! Season 4 was good - but I think Season 5 and 6 of Buffy are my favorites. Of course, when you're finished with those, you'll need to see Angel - if only to catch Spike again in the last season!

I voted: Jared, Chris, Gael Garcia, and Natalie. I figured Kel would be too busy with his role in the current administration! Thought the poll was excellent Kristin - just like Fire!

finished Fire recently and am in awe that any human being could come up with this. seriously :) I am in love with the book. This is not a spoiler, I am just saying that the ending is amazing, especially reading it late at night. It made me want to cry it's so beautiful. so, back to the point, I've never heard of Gael Garcia before, but after looking at pictures on google, he would be PERFECT for Brigan. wow.

This has nothing to do with your post, but I was reading a book called "Kira-Kira" and there is a character who's shortened version of his name is Katsa. It says that Katsa means triumph in Japanese, so I was just wondering if that is where you got Katsa's name. If not, then where did you get her name from and does it have a specific meaning? --Thanks!

Kristen, I had NO idea that you were a Buffy fan! Maybe I just don't check in enough, and maybe I should also have guessed it considering your penchant for strong female characters. For the record, I watched Buffy faithfully every Tuesday night for every season it was on, and I grieved deeply when it went off the air.

I will say that I do have a weakness for brooding vampires with a sense of conscience, but Spike was easily the most consistently entertaining character on that show. He and Oz.

Oh, thanks everyone for the Spike love and the quotes and the questions! (And the nice Fire compliments ^_^)

Didn't know that thing about Katsa's name in Japanese -- pretty cool coincidence. Katsa is also the name for an agent in the Mossad, the national intelligence agency of Israel, which I also didn't know until a fan told me.

I think I *do* have a least favorite Buffy character so far! If we're talking big, important characters... I'm sorry, but I couldn't get into Faith. I never got the Faith thing. Also, I HATED that werewolf character who led Oz astray in Season 4. Not because she led him astray, but because she never shut her mouth. (I mean, literally. Her mouth was always hanging open in this "I'm a sexy sexpot who expresses sexiness by never closing my mouth" sort of way.) It drove me CRAZY!

Also, Parker SUCKS. And while we're mentioning characters we love: GILES! I'm also surprised by how much I've come to like Riley. Usually the vanilla characters bore me.

Giles is awesome,I couldn't tell you why he's awesome but he just is. He's the school librarian I mean heck if I wanted a watcher I would totally choose my school librarian (he's a major nerd! :P). But even after the whole incident, Giles is just awesome with his english accent! Anthony Stewart Head is a god.

Faith didn't really do a thing for me at all, and that werewolf chick, I didn't even notice the open mouth thing I was too busy yelling at the tv screen for Oz to get the heck away from her!

Man I have so many issues with Oz's attitude around Willow when the I'm-so-sexy werewolf chick was around. It was just...Grrr!

First, I would like to say thank you so much for putting your amazing talent to good use...captivating us. I am in love with your books and can't get enough of them. I love everything about them - especially the strong, independent female characters.

Thank you for the link to Harvard Bookstore. I was not able to make it to a signing and I am so happy I still have a chance for a signed book.

It is nice to know that there are others out there who love Spike as I do. I am terrified of heights but you now have me thinking about finding something high to climb to check out the leaves, and I know it wasn't in your questions but you said you were drinking hot cider and that is my favorite thing to drink on those cold nights. Yay for Fall.

What the flying cloud, Karl Urban for the B-man?!?!?! he's supposed to be 22, not 32!

I'd totally picture someone like Bradley James.

And for Fire, since she's supposed to be the most beautiful person on the planet (where she even startles herself) i would do CGI, using someone like Rachel Hurd Wood (http://nighthawknews.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/perfume__rachel_hurd-wood.jpg)

i loved 'Fire' but i just didn't empathize with the character, i mean, she can get any man she wants, she has money, she's so gorgeous she makes people crazy, AND she can read minds. Like, wow, i feel sorry for her (sarcasm) lol.

But, overall, i did love it, complex characters, and complex story. Can't wait for the next one!

dear ms.kristin cashore,i writing this with crossed fingers hoping your recieve this comment and read it. I want to ask you to either don't read this or read till the very end.i really love to read and i usually search trought the books in amazon, a while ago i came across your book graceling, i wrote the name down so i would find it later and read it. later i downloaded it from a site i don't remember for free. i read graceling and fell in love with you book and the world you created so unique and great. i was hoping for a sequal or such so you can't belive how excited i got when i found out fire was out for pre-order.but as time passed it went to the very back of my mind till a few days ago that surfed amazon and came across fire again and this time it was out, so i read a sneak peak in amazon and becam anxious to read the story. i searched ever where to find it online but all i found was the first chapter so i downloaded it. i searched for two days in my free time and i didn't find any thing but i saw a result as to how download a book for free in which was suggested to see if the author has put the book online for free because i seemed like some writers have some fans like this.all i've been saying leads here. i know that it's a wrong act to download books for free when the author has put so much time and effort on it.but belive me i would buy the books i want if i could, i would spend all my monthly savings on them . but there is a problem as to why i can't.i am an asian, i live in Iran which means i'm an Iranian. if yu don't know my country you might recognise it by the fact that there has been a demonstration here because of the Presidential election and the news was in yahoo for some time or you can serach the world map but; what i'm saying is that my country iran is the reason why i don't have much access to books. there aren't many english story books here, you can hardly find good ones and that is if you serach for days in every single bookstore in the city, and the ones that are here or are translated aren't the same and some part have been deleted . if i want to read a book i should either download it or some how buy it abroad . the second option is not actually an option since i'm 15 and can't travel abroad and the chances of my family going to a place that would have the books i want is not much. so what i'm saying is that i'm a 15 year old girl whose mother language isn't english but loves to read english books but can't find books to read that easily. i know i've been babbling but i'm trying to make you see whay i do the illegal and immoral act of downloading books,so that in the end i can ask you a question: despite all i said is there a possibility that you would upload your book " fire"on your site or send it to me? i promise you if i ever had the chance to buy it i would but since that possibility seems quite far, i'm asking you to send it here or if possible to my email.

and at last i want to thank you for even bothering yourself and reading this.

My husband and I are making our way through Buffy too. We're almost done with season two. I love Angel (the character) and remember watching Angel (the show) in college. But Spike is growing on me and my husband likes him more than Angel. So glad there are others out there enjoying Buffy!:)

Yes, that counts! I think my favorites are Wash ("Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!") and Kaylee ("But how can we be sure, unless we question it?"), but again, they're all awesome. Ah, Jane. Tee hee. And River's very quotable, though "I can kill you with my brain" is slightly less threatening when said with your mouth full (just ask my old roommates).

I wanted to say I read your first book when it just came out--- new it was gonna be hot... if you ever do a movie I have the perfect "Po" now really think about this look at the video "Miracles" from the movie 2010,... my daughter and i both agree for months and month now... it should be Adam Lambert. Don't laugh just look. Especially in this video.. picture golden earrings and braclets.. extreme "Po-ness". He has been the only actor during our time reading that we see in our Graceling minds!Thanks for the great story telling that really lets the reader see in their minds the story so vivdly. You have a rare gift, thanks for sharing it with us all. Sincerely,A fellow Po lover and independent Woman who will fight for the right to dream on paper, Diana

I just finished reading Graceling for the frist time and i abslutely loved it! I am a very young aspiring author and i would love to know how you start off creating your stories, and how you manage to create such strong characters so subtly. Thank you for getting your book published, you are incredibly talented, maybe even graced... thank you also for startng your blog, answering the questions people set to you and communicating with your readers. You can have no idea what it means. Also now that ive seen these comments I can't wait to read fire.

oh also i forgot to mention, you should write more books based in the world of Graceling. maybe not with the same characters, as much as i love them, but with new fresh characters in a world that your readers already feel comfortable in. it seems a waste to only use such a fantastic world once. also as it seems my mum wont let me out of the house at all i will have to sneak out tomorrow to buy Fire.best wishes for what you deserve.

Hush is a beautiful story by Donna Jo Napoli. I'm trying to get a hold of a bunch of her other books. I love twists on fairy tales! I can't think of anything to ask you but if I think of something, I'll ask you in person at your book signing in Boston on Nov 24th! I'm excited! Are we allowed to bring a book for you to sign or do we have to buy it there?

while on the topic of things we love and hate (we're not really, i just need a good opening line) what do you think about twilight? (this tends to be an amusing topic when i talk to people i've never met)

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"Then, at last, sitting on her stretcher-bed, she took from the very bottom of her pack an old peacock-blue scarf folded around a heavy, square book. She unwrapped it and opened it very carefully, as if guilty secrets might fall from between its pages like pressed flowers. This was Harry's secret. She was a writer."

-from The Tricksters, by Margaret Mahy

Writing is my secret. Every day I unwrap and open it as carefully as I can. Welcome to my blog about writing and life! Above you'll find quick links about me and my books, and below is more about me, ways to subscribe, and an archive of past posts. Click here to go home to my most recent posts.

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About the Author

Kristin Cashore wrote the New York Times bestsellers Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue, all of which have been named ALA Best Books for Young Adults. Her next book, Jane, Unlimited, comes out in September 2017. Graceling is the winner of the 2009 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature and Fire is the winner of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award. The books are world travelers, currently scheduled to be published in thirty-four languages.

Finally, a note: This blog is my only online presence. I am not on Facebook, Google+, or any other social media sites, and I use Twitter solely as an amalgamation feed for my blog. Sorry, but I do not read @-replies on Twitter!